Parentage: ‘BLULE1801’ is a seedling selection which resulted from the open pollination of a plurality of cultivated unnamed Leucothoe fontanesiana plants (not patented) in the year 1980. All plants, and therefore all potential parents of the instant plant, shared the exemplary phenotype of the species. In 1985, the inventor discovered a seedling from the cross of 1980 at his commercial plant nursery in Tapanui, New Zealand. The seedling was noted for its compact habit and unique foliage characteristics and was subsequently isolated for further evaluation in order to confirm the distinctness and stability of the characteristics first observed. After further evaluation it was determined that the unique characteristics of the candidate plant would prove favorable for commercial marketability. The new variety was given the breeder denomination ‘BLULE1801’.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual reproduction of ‘BLULE1801’, by way of stem cuttings, was first initiated in or around the year 2000 at the inventor's commercial greenhouse in Tapanui, New Zealand. Through ten subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.